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Connect the World

U.S. Treasury Secretary Vows "Economic D-day is Coming for Iran"; UK's Burnham Visits Kyiv on First Trip as Prime Minister; Uncontained Nevada Wildfire Forcing Thousands to Flee; U.S. Imposes 50 Percent Tariffs on Canada as Trade Talks Fail; Extreme Climbers in Court Over Empire State Building Stunt. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired August 24, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, a live look at the White House as the Trump Administration declares economic D-Day against Iran. It

is 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World".

Also coming up this hour, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on his first overseas trip hosting a coalition of the willing meeting in Ukraine's

capital. A wildfire raging in Nevada. Its 0 percent contained, threatening Reno as 90,000 people evacuate. And futures are looking weak this morning.

The bond markets have been jumpy recently. The tariff war we are seeing between Canada and the U.S. not giving investors' confidence that the

economy won't hit a recession. All right. Well, we start with the Trump Administration's vow to ramp up economic pressure on Iran.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will announce new measures at a news conference a few hours from now. Ahead of that, Bessent wrote in the

"Financial Times", quote, at dawn begins an economic D-Day, the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary.

The world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.

Well, that warning coming as Iran issues a warning of its own about the Strait of Hormuz, saying vessels that violate its transit rules could face

fines, seizure, or confiscation during future passages.

There's a lot to get into. Now our Senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak joining me now. Kevin, economic pressure then on Iran, significant

pressure, but it has been tried many times before. What is it that makes the White House think that it will be any more effective this time around?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it seems as if it's a combination of two things. One is the relative weakness of Iran's economy

at the moment? You know the currency is bottoming out. The sanctions that are already in place are having an effect.

The other aspect is the strength of what the administration is previewing. They will put in place today. They haven't specified exactly what this will

look like, but what seems likely is this slate of secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners, sort of encouraging them to cut off Tehran, to

isolate it within the global economy.

And what Scott Bessent wrote in the FTSE today was that quote, the regime's final refuge now lies in the self-deception of fearful nations that still

believe accommodating aggression can secure a durable peace. And he goes on to cite specifically countries that, for example, buy Iran's oil, that

allow it to exchange its finances through free trade zones, turn a blind eye to seaborne fuel transfers.

And all of these other steps that Washington alleges is propping up the regime in Tehran. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, though,

about what exactly this will look like. My biggest question is what this will mean for China, which is, of course, the biggest purchaser of Iranian

oil.

You know, we're at a geopolitical moment where President Trump does not seem to have a huge appetite to upend his relationship with President Xi

Jinping, who will be visiting here to Washington and to the White House for a state visit in about four weeks' time. And so, what this means for China,

I think, is something to watch today.

But certainly, Bessent and President Trump trying to make the argument that everything they've done so far in this conflict has been leading up to this

moment where they will come in with these economic measures and sort of deal the final death blow to Tehran.

Now, whether that is reality, I think, is another question. Obviously, Iran has shown an enormous willingness not only over the last six months, but

over the last many decades, to withstand Western economic pressure. What President Trump said today was that, quote, Iran is completely collapsing.

But obviously, we've seen that the country has continued to have this ability to close off the Strait of Hormuz, this sort of asymmetric

capability to fire drones at vessels that are passing through. And obviously transits are still well below what they were before the war

began.

And so, you see here the president essentially trying something different, moving to this economic phase of the conflict after the military strategy

failed to deliver all of the goals that he laid out at the beginning, remains to be seen whether that will be successful or not.

[09:05:00]

ANDERSON: Copy that. Good to have you, sir. Thank you. Beautiful day in Washington. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in Kyiv for his first

official visit to Ukraine. As prime minister, as London agrees to share its classified information to help Ukraine develop its own long-range scalp

missiles, as they are known.

Mr. Burnham's visit comes as Ukraine's President warns that Russia may be preparing to mobilize more troops. Zelenskyy says Moscow will likely call

up another 300,000 troops later this year, as it seeks to capture the entire Donetsk region. Well, right now, Ukrainian forces control around 20

percent of that region, including a strategic belt of industrial towns.

CNN's Nada Bashir following this story for us. Good to have you, Nada. Thank you. Why is the UK agreeing then to share classified information with

Ukraine now, and how might that help in Ukraine's war effort? Is it clear?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Becky, this is a major move being taken by the new UK Prime Minister, as you mentioned in his first

official visit to Kyiv, meeting with the Ukrainian President. But again, this comes at a time where President Zelenskyy has been very clear in

calling for further support from his allies.

He has warned in wide-ranging remarks made on Sunday that Russia does stand to maintain much of the land that it has already, or the territory that it

has already acquired and gained in eastern Ukraine by the end of the year, despite significant losses, troop losses by the Russian military.

And of course, that call for support is not only centered on the United Kingdom and, of course, European allies, but also on the United States. But

the UK is taking a significant step now, as you mentioned, deciding to release that classified information regarding components, design components

for this British-French designed long-range missile system to support in Ukraine's counter-offensive against the Russian military.

We have heard since from the Kremlin spokesperson in Moscow reacting to this decision taken by the United Kingdom, accusing Britain of adding fuel

to the fire, saying, and I quote, Britain methodically and regularly adds fuel to the fire, and methodically and regularly hatches schemes to prevent

even the slightest progress in the peaceful settlement process.

But of course, as we've been hearing from both the United Kingdom and the European Union, this is all part of further steps being taken to bolster

that position of support for Ukraine. The EU, for its part today, has announced that it is stepping up funding some 6.1 billion euros in defense

procurement for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been very clear. He believes that they are on that Russia is on the back foot. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Putin hopes that we are tired, but we know that he is mortal. He never understood us. Now he will not have

time to. You wanted to take all our Ukraine, all our land, but instead you lost your oil refineries, your fleet, your profits, your entire generation

that you sent into the meat grinder, you wanted us to raise from the map.

Now you are absent from the international agenda of the future civilization. For 27 years, the head of Russia has talked about greatness,

while Russia is standing in lines for gasoline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Very firm words there from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Very stern warning there, but he has also said that, according to Ukraine's

assessment, Russia could likely mobilize another 300,000 troops later this year. So, this would be a significant blow to Ukraine's defense effort.

And again, in reiterating that call for further support, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also issued a direct message to the United

States as well, saying that there simply hasn't been enough support from the U.S. particularly when it comes to the patriot air defense systems,

which have been so crucial to Ukraine's defense.

And he did highlight a comparison between the amount of patriot missile systems they were receiving in 2023. He pegged that at 675, whereas the

forecast for this year, he says, is just 264, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. U.S. President Donald Trump sticking to his 50 percent tariffs on Canada after trade talks failed over the

weekend, Canada, for its part, promising to retaliate dollar for dollar. Despite the standoff, White House officials say they do expect talks to

resume soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We want fairness for the American worker.

[09:10:00]

And some of our best friends are the worst offenders that treat us the worst, and the fact that we provide their security for them, and they take

advantage of us, I think President Trump was the first one to go. You know what? That's not the kind of relationship that friends should have.

And so, the president's calling them out. I think you're going to see Mark Carney come to the table very, very quickly because it's going to be

devastating for his country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Mr. Trump commenting on the tariffs for the first time since those talks collapsed, he posted on Sunday, quote, Canada wants the

benefits of being a state without being one. They have also charged our great farmers for many years massive amounts of tariffs.

Well, our White House Correspondent Alayna Treene joining us live from Washington. And before these talks collapsed, both sides were signaling

that they were close to a deal. So, what happened?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, essentially, what we've heard, and specifically, we heard a lot of this coming from the

Canadian Prime Minister, Becky, Mark Carney on Saturday, arguing that the U.S. was expecting too much.

Now, if you talk to Trump Administration officials or listen to their public comments, they're arguing that Canada was asking for too much. So

clearly, two very different sides here. I do want to read to you a little bit of what we heard from Carney on Saturday in the immediate aftermath of

these negotiations collapsing.

He said essentially that the United States had proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair, and undermined the net benefits for Canada. He went on

to say that, in short, the U.S. asked too much and they offered too little. Then, of course, you read that statement from the president saying Canada

wants too many benefits. It's essentially like they want to be a state.

So, the two sides remain far apart. I would remind you, though, of what they were actually discussing. You know, part of the potential deal that

was on the table, one that the president, President Donald Trump actually said last week he believed was close to being finalized included

significant tariff reductions on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber, as well as a national security partnership.

None of that, of course, now coming into effect. But previously there were discussions about having some of the tariffs already placed on Canadian

goods from the U.S. side. Now we're seeing this major escalation of the U.S. imposing, as you mentioned, 50 percent tariffs on 20 billion dollars

of Canadian goods.

Canada now saying tit for tat, dollar for dollar tariffs in retaliation, and then you also hear the U.S. saying we're going to further retaliate on

your retaliation. So very much unclear where this goes from here. I will say though, despite what you heard from the treasury, excuse me, the

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in that clip you played.

If you listen to Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, he argues that there are no new negotiations planned and that it's very much unclear

when they could see talks resume, given the breakdown over the weekend and a lot of the barbs that have been traded, Becky.

ANDERSON: Look, we know that futures are slightly lower at the moment. We're about 15 minutes out from the open this Monday open on Wall Street.

Investors certainly, it seems reticent to sort of buy into these stock markets. It may not just be because of these trade talks collapsing.

There's a whole load of other things going on, and we're awaiting economic D-Day, of course, from the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent more

detail on sanctions on Iran. But we do know that Donald Trump doesn't like a down market. Are we likely to hear anything further from him do you

think, when these markets open this Monday for its new trading week?

TREENE: I think we definitely could. We know that the president is very quick to respond to changes, particularly downturns, when it comes to the

market, so we'll have to see what happens. But we did also hear, Becky, this morning from one of the people really leading a lot of these talks, or

at least the talks that were previously happening between the U.S. and Canada, which is Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Rep.

And he was really downplaying these tariffs, despite Canada arguing that this is a new trade war, really challenging the U.S. here, Greer trying to

argue that the tariffs are very limited in scope and likely not to have a huge impact on the health of the U.S. economy. Listen to how he put it.

I'm not sure if we lost that sound bite, but essentially, Becky, what Greer had said this morning on CNBC was that this was such a small part.

ANDERSON: OK.

TREENE: The tariffs on Canada are such a small part of the U.S. economy. He was saying, you know, he's said this number a couple times now. It's only

0.06 percent. I will say, not necessarily reassuring though, to a lot of the small businesses who rely on these goods that are being further

tariffs, specifically, you know, it comes to steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp, paper, electronics, all of that going to be

impacting those types of goods that are typically imported from Canada.

[09:15:00]

And as you mentioned, also coming at a time when we're seeing a lot of other economic uncertainty about what's happening with this new economic D-

Day with Iran. And so that's I think the uncertainty of all of this is what keeping, which is, is what keeping people on edge, not necessarily the

impact directly of these tariffs.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. I think you're spot on with that. These markets off about an eighth of 1 percent on the DOW, about the same on the S&P, and

the NASDAQ off about a half of 1 percent. And we know the S&P has been in you know fantastic form of late.

So, I mean, if there's a little bit of fizz in these markets, perhaps that's also understandable. A bit of selling going on. So, we'll wait

anyway to see. Stick with us because we'll have the bell at the bottom of the hour. You're watching "Connect the World". Still to come, a fast-moving

wildfire raging near Reno, Nevada, as tens of thousands are urged to evacuate.

We'll have a live report on the ground. And can artificial intelligence offer spiritual guidance? Well, this pastor thinks it can. We've got a

special report for you coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, a fast-moving wildfire near Reno, Nevada, has forced tens of thousands of people there from their homes. The Hawk Fire, as it's

known, has burned more than 15,000 acres. Strong winds making it difficult for crews to contain. Evacuated residents described the flames as they were

closing in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we came through, it looked like a movie scene. Like you don't expect to see something like that in real life. And then like we

looked over the overpass, so we could see like the top of the flames, and then the smoke overhead or whatever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just really scary right now. We've never had to do this before. There was no hotel room at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Josh Campbell on the ground in Reno, Nevada. And what are you seeing there now, Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the images really tell the story here. This erratic fire behavior that we saw yesterday near where we are

here in Reno, Nevada. These flames starting to pick up, rapidly moving down a hillside towards residential areas.

You know, this is all a continuation of an extremely destructive fire season that we've seen here, particularly in the southwestern part of the

United States, where there have been tens of thousands of acres burned. There have been entire towns that have been forced to evacuate.

Where I'm here now, the so-called a Hawk Fire is what it's being referred to nearby. Has already chewed through about 15,000 acres right now 0

percent containment. You know this fire crews will assign a percentage as they try to get a fire under control right now. No, none.

There is no containment. But we've seen fire officials, both from the local level as well as the state and the federal level.

[09:20:00]

There've been resources coming into the state of Nevada from the nearby State of California. Dozens of aircraft trying to attack this fire from the

sky. There have sadly been injuries that have been reported so far. Six people injured. That included three first responders as well as three local

residents.

Now, where I'm standing right here, Becky, behind me, you can see the American Red Cross truck. This is the team that often is launched whenever

disaster strikes here in the U.S. This convention center behind me is now a makeshift shelter for so many people. That's because at least 90,000 people

in this area have been urged by officials to leave, that includes 42,000 people.

Again, 42,000 people that have been given a mandatory order to leave their neighborhoods because of the erratic nature of this fire. Again, we're

hoping that crews will continue to make some progress, Becky. But right now, at least according to the CNN weather team, the forecast looks like

fire conditions may continue throughout the week as the winds continue to pick up.

These very dry conditions certainly a lot that fire crews have on their hands right now.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. And our viewers can stay bang up to date with what is going on cnn.com/weather. Of course, you'll find the weather news

on our digital channels. Good to have you, Josh. Thank you. When church goers are facing spiritual trouble, they often turn to their pastor and

their congregation for advice.

But now we also have the option to lean on a chat bot. California pastor Justin Lester has created an AI duplicate of himself in a bid to transform

how religion coexists with technology. CNN's Nick Watt has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Passion, emotion, love. Black Americans are world leaders at making worship very, very human.

WATT My church, when I was a kid, was like this. I might still be religious.

WATT (voice-over): Now, Pastor Justin Lester is pioneering the inhuman. He's cloned his mind, birthed an AI digital doppelganger, which ministers

to his flock when the real man cannot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can make an appointment with the pastor, but I can ask this question right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing. You have to try it sometimes.

WATT: I will. I will.

WATT (voice-over): I did.

WATT: 'm feeling a little lonely today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not good for man to be alone. That's scripture. That's truth, and it applies to you right now. Loneliness isn't weakness.

It's a signal that you were made for connection. So, here's what I want you to do today, reach out to one person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to use it when, one he's away, or two there's a question I'm too embarrassed to ask him because I feel like I should know

the answer to it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some things you may be hesitant to say out loud.

WATT: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how does it work?

REV. JUSTIN R. LESTER, FRIENDSHIP MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: I connected on YouTube, my TikTok, my Instagram, and everything I've ever written.

WATT: OK.

LESTER: So, all the way back to every sermon I've ever preached, books, all of that are in there.

WATT: Do you obviously evolve as a human and as a preacher and a pastor?

LESTER: Yeah.

WATT: Does it evolve with you?

LESTER: Yeah. Every single day, it updates.

WATT: You said in your sermon someday to give other people credit. What did you mean,

LESTER: Nick, I appreciate you pressing me on that. Let me be real with you. I was talking about giving credit to the people around you. Creeps me

out because like somebody's literally talked to it before and was like, I literally thought you had a conversation with me. So, I don't have the

video part on.

WATT: OK.

LESTER: Because that was weird. But --

WATT: So, OK. So, if the tech there catches up, will you do so I can look at you?

LESTER: Absolutely, I'll do it, because I'm curious about it. I'm an innovator.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got to live. I would live for that. I live for that.

WATT (voice-over): He's already launched Pastor GPT, which helps other pastors write sermons, and his little church offers coding classes and uses

AI to handle the earthly and mundane.

LESTER: Like I went to school to preach the gospel, to teach the gospel, care for God's people. I did not go to school to, you know.

WATT: So, AI is giving you more time to be human.

LESTER: Yeah. Absolutely. AI man gives me more time to be a better father, be a better husband, to be a better pastor. Hospital visits don't have to

be five minutes. They can be 20.

WATT (voice-over): But can AI do this?

WATT: And when I watch you preach, you know I see and I feel humanity.

LESTER: Yeah.

WATT: I see frailty. I feel all these human things.

LESTER: Absolutely.

WATT: Can you really bottle that into an algorithm?

LESTER: Oh no, no, no, no, no. So, AI cannot feel.

WATT: You're also not like creating something that's going to replace you.

LESTER: No, no, I think I'm pretty cool, and so no.

WATT: We're not going to be replacing the past.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

WATT: We're not going to be having weird virtual churches with known dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Not at all. No, I think what we see is an expansion of the church happening.

[09:25:00]

WATT: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An expansion of love and expansion of humanity.

WATT: If you try and make the AI twin talk about something random, weird, someone tried Swedish politics, it will not engage. The bot will only talk

about things that the real man himself knows about. Also, if you bring up something very serious, homicide, suicide, violence, abuse.

The bot will say that's too much for me. Call the pastor. As the poetic pastor himself says. Rivers are great because of the banks. AI is great

with guard rails. Maybe that's a lesson for the wider world as well. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: That's Nick with his report. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still to come, trade war tensions between the U.S.

and Canada on the rise, and prices could follow where Americans' wallets could take a hit. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World". U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that the

Trump Administration is going to impose a quote, economic D-Day on Iran. He is expected to reveal details of a plan for severe sanctions at a news

conference later this Monday.

Well Iran says any countries cooperating with the U.S. will face consequences. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in Kyiv as Britain

agrees to share classified information to help Ukraine develop long-range scalp missiles. His visit comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

warns that Russia could mobilize another 300,000 troops later this year.

Well, a fast-moving wildfire near Reno, Nevada, has burned more than 15,000 acres. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, or

certainly urged to evacuate. The human-caused Hawk Fire remains uncontained as strong winds complicate efforts to bring the flames under control.

The couple who scaled the Empire State Building's spire and got engaged are back in court today, facing felony charges over their quote, stunt. They

are accused of burglary, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief after climbing into unrestricted or restricted areas and unfurling a peace banner

from the 442-meter spire.

[09:30:00]

Right, we're just a couple of seconds away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Let's check in. Ringing the bell today, the United States Tennis

Association celebrating the start of the U.S. Open. All right, let's check in on how investors are feeling today, and if the DOW is anything to go by.

The market actually opening slightly higher. It was a very sort of mixed day on the futures markets. We'd seen a bit of a sell-off, which had sort

of gotten a little slower as the session continued. Now we've got just into positive territory there on the DOW. We'll check in on the NASDAQ and the

S&P shortly.

New today, the U.S. and Canada, of course, barreling towards a deeper trade war, one that could drive up prices on hundreds of everyday items for U.S.

consumers. The Trump Administration slapped 50 percent tariffs on roughly 20 billion dollars' worth of Canadian goods on Saturday, after last-ditch

efforts to strike a deal fell through.

Now, the new levies impact everything from paper plates and cups to beer and wine to milk. And now Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is vowing to

retaliate dollar for dollar tariffs on certain U.S. goods starting September the eighth. Well, CNN's Senior Reporter Matt Egan live in New

York on this one.

I am just looking at the markets. And we are just into positive territory today. The NASDAQ and the S&P off slightly, actually the DOW in better

shape. So, a mixed start to these markets, and investors obviously keenly aware that these tariffs also impact items people may not think of.

Tell us what else is on the list and how quickly the rising prices could actually trickle down to the average American.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Becky, the U.S. and Canada, they've had long had one of the deepest trading relationships in the world, but

that relationship is clearly in crisis right now. And you could have a situation where consumers in both countries are stuck and caught in the

crossfire of this trade war, if they're hurt by potential job loss and yes, higher prices.

So, as you mentioned, we're talking about 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of goods that the United States imports from Canada. Right,

everything from milk and honey to dog leashes, gloves, smartphones, wigs, false beards, hockey sticks, Christmas ornaments, fishing rods.

I can go on and on. Also, alcoholic beverages impacted here, beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, and other items as well. And look, altogether, we're

talking about 20 billion dollars of Canadian goods that the U.S. imports. That's now facing this 50 percent tariff. That is a lot, but it's also a

very big trading relationship.

So, this makes up about 5 percent of total imports from Canada. And this list of items that are getting tariffed. They're very strategic because I

notice there's a number of things that the U.S. relies on from Canada that are not facing this 50 percent tariff, including electricity, crude oil,

potash, maple syrup as well, automobiles, right?

And the fact that these items are not facing the tariff is telling, and it sort of implies that there's an acknowledgement that if they were tariffs,

you'd see even higher prices for U.S. consumers. Now, Ottawa is clearly not taking this lying down Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

He is threatening dollar for dollar retaliation. He's laid out a number of different U.S. sectors that are going to face retaliatory tariffs from

Canada, including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, paper, and electronics, and this is key, because Canada is the number one foreign

buyer for a number of U.S. states.

And so, if U.S. made goods now face steep tariffs from Canada, they could experience a loss of demand, and some U.S. companies they might be forced

to let go of some of their workers. Now, one last point for you here, Becky, is just the unprecedented nature of these tariffs.

They are being authorized on a section of trade law that's never been used before. Right, we're talking about Section 338 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Act. Of course, that was the tariff law that made the great depression even worse. It was famously in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" scene as well and it's

likely to get tested in court, right?

[09:35:00]

But we know from the last year and a half or so that those legal challenges to the president tariffs they can take quite a long time to play out. And

so, for now, there's just a whole lot of uncertainty that has been injected into this trading relationship and really into the whole global economy.

Back to you.

ANDERSON: Got it. Good to have you. Thank you, Matt. Well, let's see. November U.S. midterm elections draw nearer. There is one particular issue

on voters' minds that has taken many candidates, frankly, by surprise, the creation of AI data centers, drawing the outrage of many voters across the

country.

And politicians, it seems, are now tapping into that backlash. With some Republicans now shifting their positions to oppose these facilities or

infrastructure, even though President Trump is making clear he is all for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If a Republican's against the data center, that's OK with me. If I were a community, I would

want the data center. It means jobs, it means income, and it means lower taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well CNN's Rafael Romo takes a look at some of the cities that are fighting back against these data centers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Data centers have prompted a national debate that has been raging for a while. A debate that is heating up as we

approach the midterm elections here in Georgia. The City of Lovejoy, population of 13,000, considered a proposal that would have included a 15-

building, 403-acre data center campus that would have been located between two schools and several residential neighborhoods.

The proposal generated such a public outcry that city officials and the developer canceled the data center plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't need something like that within our community right here. Yeah, it's come across as a very negative thing. I think many

people are against it, and I'm one of those people as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a place to have families grow, not data centers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not against data centers. We're against data centers in our communities. That's not what we came here for.

ROMO: Lovejoy Mayor Marci Fluellen told me she's happy that consensus was reached on what's best for her residents.

MARCI FLUELLEN, MAYOR OF LOVEJOY, GEORGIA: Accomplished. That's the way I feel. For the residents, they had a chance to have their voices heard,

which is very important for such a subject as large as, and important as data centers.

ROMO: When you heard from your residents, what were some of the concerns that they had?

FLUELLEN: The most common concerns that the residents had were the environmental impacts, water consumption, power consumption, air and noise

pollution.

ROMO: A recent Gallup poll showed 71 percent of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their communities. About a dozen states

have proposed data center building moratoriums, and New York has recently enacted one. Four other states have taken up similar bills, but they failed

to get enacted.

In spite of the opposition, Shelly Palmer, a Professor of Advanced Media at Syracuse University says data centers are here to stay.

SHELLY PALMER, PROFESSOR OF ADVANCED MEDIA AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: The velocity of data is increasing and will always increase. There is no

version of the world where there's less data tomorrow than there is today. Every time you pick up your smartphone, every time you sit down at a

computer, every time you do practically anything, swipe a credit card, data centers are involved.

In order to make data actionable, to turn it into something tangible and valuable, you must process it, and that happens in a data center.

ROMO: The United States had more than 5400 data centers at the end of last year, according to Stanford University's AI Index report. That number is

set to nearly double. Data research center Aterio found AI companies have announced plans for nearly 4000 additional data centers. Rafael Romo, CNN,

Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, up next in "World Sport", a football legend speaking out in support of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. More on that after this.

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[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, the FIFA fallout continues. Many thinking President Gianni Infantino's future was certainly in doubt, but he does have some big-name

support, including African football legend Samuel Etoo, who's now President of the Cameroon Football Federation.

Amanda Davies has been speaking exclusively to him, and joins me now. What's he told you?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, in recent times, haven't we? In the wake of the leak of this FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, for people speaking

out against the FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the likes of the Israeli Football Association withdrawing their support.

The Nordic countries, England, Scotland, Gibraltar, the latest country to withdraw their support from him. But Samuel Etoo, a four-time Champions

League winner, Africa's all-time leading goal scorer, has a very different view of the plans that were laid out, and has very much thrown his support

behind Infantino, saying he will back him for the election and wants the opportunity to talk about these plans properly on the biggest football

stage.

It's a really interesting interview with a different perspective, and it's coming up in just a couple of minutes in "World Sport".

ANDERSON: Good. Very good. Looking forward to it. That's "World Sport". After this break, I'll be back with more "Connect the World" in 15 minutes.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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